Turkish charity launches aid campaign for Gaza

The Turkish-registered charity Gaza Destek Derneği (“Gaza Aid”) launched an aid campaign on Sunday to collect donations to fund development projects in the besieged Palestinian territory, Safa news agency has reported. The “Ten days to support Gaza” campaign marks the first ten days of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah leading up to the festival of Eidul-Adha; this month carries a lot of religious significance for the world’s Muslims.

The charity said that the campaign aims to support unemployed professionals, workers, university graduates and housewives. It has allocated funds for a number of micro-projects for each group.

In a press statement, Gaza Destek Derneği noted that the campaign aims to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who have been suffering under an Israeli-led siege for more than 10 years. The official poverty rate is more 65 per cent, it pointed out, with food insecurity affecting 72 per cent of the population and 80 per cent of families living on aid.

Previous projects in Gaza involving Gaza Destek Derneği include the rebuilding of homes destroyed during successive Israeli military offensives, as well as clothing and food parcels for the needy.